Nearly 90 Maine West students register to vote at Park Ridge League of Women Voters event

The League of Women Voters of Park Ridge celebrated National Voter Registration Day on September 28 by registering 89 students to vote at an all-day event at Maine West High School.

"The students were very excited about becoming registered voters," said Susan Gahagan-Mueller, social science department chair at Maine West. She helped coordinate the event with Karen Reid, the League's director of voter services. Volunteers from the League and Action Ridge helped at the event.

Voter registration drives are a regular occurrence at Maine West. "We participate in National Voter Registration Day every year and run a second drive in the spring with the goal to get all eligible students registered to vote before they graduate," said Gahagan-Mueller.

About 10 years ago, social studies teachers at the school who were Cook County residents became deputy registrars to help with the school's voter registration drives. While a few teachers are still registrars, the school has been running its registration drives through the Cook County online platform where students can complete their registration applications on their own.

Registering to vote is just the first step in the process, noted Reid. "We will continue to serve as a resource for students," she said. "We'll remind them of important dates and help them plan their votes in upcoming elections."

To register to vote online, Illinois residents can go to the Illinois State Board of Elections website at https://ova.elections.il.gov.

Applicants will need an Illinois Driver's license or state ID to apply. To apply by mail, suburban Cook County residents can go to https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/agency/register-vote to print out a form. Applicants can complete a mail-in registration using the last four digits of their social security number in lieu of a driver's license or state ID.

To request information about the League of Women Voters of Park Ridge or to host a voter registration drive for your organization or event, email lwvparkridge@gmail.com.

The League of Women Voters of Park Ridge is a nonpartisan political organization dedicated to making democracy work through voter education, issue advocacy and citizen participation. For more information, please visit www.lwvpr.org or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.